Q&A on I-69 Ohio River Crossing

the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) have identified the Central Alternative as the preferred route for the proposed I-69 Ohio River Crossing (I-69 ORX)
I-69 Ohio River Crossing Public Outreach

HENDERSON, Ky. - As a key deadline for public comment draws near, The Gleaner asked project spokesperson Mindy Peterson to update readers on the I-69 Ohio River Crossing.

Question:How many people have attended the Draft Environmental Impact Statement hearings and community sessions in Evansville and Henderson? How many have given written or oral input?

Answer: Nearly 350 people attended the public hearings in early January (about 225 people in Henderson and 125 people in Evansville). A total of 62 people signed up to speak at the two hearings and offered comments that were transcribed and will be part of the project record and Final EIS. The number of speakers was evenly split between Henderson and Evansville, with 32 speakers in Henderson and 30 speakers in Evansville.

The public hearings offered a formal comment session, but also featured the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Project Team members and included several maps, boards and stations. The virtual reality station and noise impact demonstration were both very popular. The virtual reality station allowed participants to insert themselves in a 3D model of the alternatives, offering a unique, 360-degree view of the project.

Nearly 70 people attended our Community Conversations on January 23 and 24 (34 in Henderson and 32 in Evansville).

Nearly 150 people so far have provided comments in addition to the recorded comments at the public hearings.

The DEIS comment period runs through Feb. 8. Comments can be received through the “Contact Us” page on the project website (I69ohiorivercrossing.com), by email (info@I69ohiorivercrossing.com), by mail or by dropping off written comments to either project office.

Q: When would you likely expect to see the Final Environmental Impact Statement released?

A: The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) are expected in late 2019. The FEIS will confirm the preferred alternative and recommended tolling option, which may be adjusted based on DEIS comments. The ROD is final approval of the preferred alternative from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Q: What should people know about the next phase and the FEIS?

A: The DEIS that was published December 14 is basically a summary of the work to date by the Project Team. The team has been at work since early 2017. The DEIS summarizes the study process, analysis and findings. It includes the basis for the selection of the preferred alternatives and mitigation measures proposed to address unavoidable impacts associated with the preferred alternatives.

Next steps include additional engineering analyses to identify opportunities to optimize the design and reduce the estimated cost, additional financial analyses to confirm funding needs and addressing all the comments received from agencies and the public.

The FEIS will describe all changes made and any changes to the project’s impacts. It will also include a response to every comment received on the DEIS and will confirm the final preferred alternative.

Q: Will there be a way to give input or information after the FEIS is released, or is the input/feedback phase for the public over as of Feb. 8?

A: Now is the time for comment on the DEIS and the work to date. It’s important that people have their voices heard before the end of the DEIS comment period on Feb. 8.

The comments received inform the decision-making process as the Project Team works to identify and define a preferred alternative.

Following this analysis and after considering all DEIS comments, there will be another touchpoint with the public later this year prior to the FEIS to announce the preferred alternative and recommended tolling option.

Attendees got to try out a virtual reality view of the proposed I-69 bridge crossing route during recent hearings in Henderson and Evansville.(Photo: Furnished)

Q: The company you work for, C2 Strategic Communications, has been involved with at least one other Ohio River crossing project. What can you say about what you’ve seen here as far as involvement and interest from the community compared to that project in a larger metro area?

A: The project (in Louisville and Southern Indiana) included building two new Ohio River bridges (the I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge downtown and the SR 265/KY 841 Lewis and Clark Bridge in the eastern portion of Jefferson County connecting Prospect, KY and Utica, IN).

Involvement and interest in that project were high, as it is here. A project of this magnitude naturally captures the attention of elected officials, business leaders, community leaders and residents.

From completing a much-needed connection, offering a faster and safer commute and opening the doors to new opportunities, the impact of this project will likely be seen for years to come. A project like this can be a game-changer for a community, and that leads to high interest in the project.

Q: Speaking of Louisville, is there precedent there for tolling “old” bridges, or did only new bridges there get tolls? How many bridges in that project, and how many are tolled?

A: All of the bridges constructed or rehabilitated by the Ohio River Bridges Project in Louisville are tolled, the two I-65 bridges (Lincoln Bridge and Kennedy Bridge) and the SR 265/KY 841 Lewis and Clark Bridge.

The Kennedy Bridge opened in 1963 and was previously toll-free. The Kennedy Bridge was rehabilitated and converted to six lanes for southbound I-65 traffic during the project.

The I-64 Sherman Minton Bridge and the US 31 Clark Memorial Bridge are toll-free. (They were not upgraded by the Ohio River Bridges Project.)

Q: People and officials here seem uncharacteristically united in their belief that both US 41 twin bridges need to remain in service, and remain free for locals. That runs counter to the DEIS. What would you tell the community in regards to that?

A: It’s important that people know this is a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. No final decisions have been made. The comment period is a time to hear feedback from the community and the comments gathered play an important role in the decision-making process.

All comments received will be considered by the Project Team and the states. For this project to move forward, financial feasibility is key. There was a similar environmental study in 2004 that identified a preferred alternative for an I-69 Ohio River Crossing, but it never reached a Record of Decision. No funding source was identified, and the project stalled.

Tolling is a difference this time around.

The public seems to understand and agree with the need for tolling to be part of the funding equation. However, toll revenue only covers a fraction of project costs.

Even if you toll all traffic that crosses the river (Central Alternative 1A), expected toll revenue over 35 years will only cover about 40% of upfront capital costs for the project. There is a large funding gap that must be filled. There are more needs than dollars available not only in both states, but across the country.

If you retain both US 41 bridges, you’re compounding the math problem. The funding gap only widens.

Traffic forecasts indicate six lanes of cross-river capacity are needed through 2045.

$145 million dollars in maintenance and operations costs is saved by removing one of the US 41 bridges from service, about 10% or project costs, which is a sizable savings. Reducing project costs provides the greatest opportunity for the project to be financially feasible.

A new I-69 bridge will be wide enough to carry six lanes in the future, if needed.

People can make sure their voices are heard. All comments are considered and weigh heavily in next steps for the project. The Project Team will continue to explore all options.

A: Tolling would be all-electronic tolling (AET), with no toll booths, no slowing and no stopping. The easiest and most cost-effective way for drivers to use AET is to set up a prepaid account and use a transponder. A sensor reads the transponder as a vehicle crosses a bridge and the lowest toll rate is deducted from a prepaid account.

Residents, local officials and others talk to officials and view explanatory materials at a recent I-69 informational event and hearing at Henderson Community College.(Photo: Furnished)

For drivers without prepaid accounts and transponders, high-res cameras capture images of license plates and invoices are mailed to registered owners of the vehicle. Higher toll rates apply.

There are expected to be varying toll rates based on vehicle classification, which is likely to be determined by the number of axles and height of the vehicle.

Toll rates won’t be determined as part of this environmental process and are not up to the Project Team. But the Team is running a variety of scenarios to help inform decisions. It will be up to a bi-state body to determine toll rates, and that will happen before construction begins.

For planning purposes, the Project Team has used similar rates to the Ohio River Bridges Project (in Louisville/Southern Indiana). Initial toll rates were $2 for passenger vehicles, $5 for medium vehicles (box trucks, etc.) and $10 for large vehicles (semis). Those are rates with a prepaid account and transponder. An additional $2 is charged in Louisville per crossing for drivers without accounts and transponders.

One alternative being considered here (Central Alternative 1B) would retain a toll-free US 41 bridge. All possibilities are being explored. That could include a lower toll rate on a remaining US 41 bridge.

Q: Anything else you’d like Gleaner readers to know?

It’s important that people understand there is still a lot of work ahead for this Project Team and that comments received during this period make a difference, but there is a large funding gap. Retaining both US 41 bridges and tolling only part of the cross-river traffic adds to that gap.

Editor's note: This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.

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In this file photo, Henderson Mayor Steve Austin speaks at the dedication of an I-69 Ohio River Crossing project office on Barrett Court in Henderson.(Photo: John Martin, Courier & Press)